Gotham's Newest Resident
by BethMolo
Summary: Struck with a tragedy that left her lost and confused, Alice decides it's time for a fresh start. Moving to America is a big deal, but she doesn't realise the possible consequences of moving to the notorious Gotham City, home of the so-called "superhero" Batman. But it won't be the Masked Vigilante who flashes her a smile. -Set 1 year after The Dark Knight-
1. Chapter One: Welcome to Gotham

**Introduction**

Her eyes jolted open as she was shaken her from her nightmares; the piercing screams of her sister still fresh in her ears.

"Breathe, Alice. It was just some turbulence."

Alice hadn't noticed that her breathing was erratic as she turned to look at her friend, Evelynn, whose face was full of concern. Gradually, she took control and breathed in and out as if she were a pregnant woman in labour. She nodded at Evelynn and mouthed a 'thanks' as she rested her head back on the window.

She looked into the sky, squinting through the fat raindrops, but there wasn't much to see apart from the big, grey clouds that occupied her vision. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying not to fall back into her disturbed sleep. She hadn't had one good night's sleep ever since Emily died.

Alice's heart ached as the memories flooded her mind, the very thought of her name still only managing to evoke pain and grief in the very fibres of her being.

Someone once said, "Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there."

But what happens when, one day, one of them is just...gone? What happens to the remaining sister when that one isn't there anymore? What happens when that sister isn't there to talk with, to laugh with, to cry with, to share secrets with, to scream with, to bitch with, to yell with, to fight with, to comfort with, to smile with?

When Emily died, a large part of Alice died with her. She'd tried to come to terms with it. She'd read articles and stories about dealing with losing a loved one. She understood them; she desperately wanted to feel the same way, but she didn't. She knew she wouldn't be the same ever again. She didn't want to be if Emily wasn't here.

A few tears had escaped Alice's eyes and had begun gradually rolling down her cheek. She wasn't one for crying in public so quickly wiped them away with the sleeve of her top and proceeded to cover her face with her hand. Perhaps sleep was the best idea. Con: it would send her back to her nightmares where she'd face her sister screaming for help. Pro: she wouldn't be conscious and feeling the grief of losing someone so dear to her.

Alice wiped another escapee, salty droplet from the corner of her eye and began giving into slumber, her body constantly emotionally drained and drowsy.

Soon they'd be in Gotham City airport.

* * *

**Chapter One**

A new start had been in order for Alice for over three months, and today was the day it began. She needed to get far away from everything she knew if she was to have any chance of seeing things in "a new light" or whatever crap people said.

She had chosen America as her new starting point and her best friend Evelynn had chosen to accompany her. She had said she was tagging along because she had always wanted to visit America, but Alice knew it was because nobody thought she should be alone in a big, new country after what had happened. They were probably right.

With not a lot of money to her name, Alice had searched the web for the cheapest states, cities and neighbourhoods in the big U.S., and had stumbled upon somewhere in the state of New Jersey. It had low, affordable rent on not-bad-looking apartments, but she'd quickly understood when she had discovered the high crime rate. Something about it, though, had caught her eye, as she had recalled seeing it on the news as being the home of this "superhero", Batman, and all the fuss last year with that crazy guy she couldn't remember. And to be honest, she didn't really care. It was highly unlikely she'd see any of that sort of action in a big city.

So, without a whole lot of thought about the consequences of living in such a dangerous, crime-filled city, Alice had packed up her things, said goodbye to her family and hopped on a plane with her bestie, headed for Gotham City.

* * *

Evelynn paid the cab driver as Alice stared up at the apartment building that she was going to call home. She sighed, her wrists beginning to ache with the weight of her luggage which held the weight of her burdens; the memories she had brought with her from England; from home. Photos that got dripped on every time she looked at them, because nearly all of them held a memory that reminded her of-

_You've got to stop this, Alice. Breathe._

"You ready to find our new place, roomie?" Evelynn said as she nudged Alice lightly, causing her to nudge her back with a smile.

"I guess so."

Her friend winked and began heading up the flights of stairs to their right, Alice following close behind.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Alice found herself in her new room in her new flat with her new life ahead of her. She had stopped unpacking a while ago when it all became a bit too much. She was already starting to feel homesick, but she'd predicted she'd feel that way. As a child, she hadn't been away from home a lot. She'd love to go sleep over at her friends' houses, but whenever she had, she'd cried and called her mum to come and take her home. She never liked being away from her family and she wasn't quite sure why. Perhaps her brain enjoyed over-thinking too much and would manifest these irrational 'what if' situations like 'What if my mum has a heart attack and I don't get to say goodbye?' or 'What if my sister falls down the stairs and she has to be taken to the hospital and I'm not there?' or even 'What if a murderer comes into the house and chops up my family into little pieces?' Yes. It was safe to say that Alice would render herself insane if she kept thinking like this, but she had no idea how to stop.

A small knock on the door made Alice blink and shake her head out of her day-dreams.

"Come in," she said as the door handle pulled down and Evelynn poked her head around the door.

"You okay there, buddy?" She asked, doing well to not look concerned or worried as Alice sat on the windowsill clutching her knees which were pulled up to her chest.

"Yeah. Just taking a break." Alice forced a smile and turned her head back to look out of the window, the rain just starting to trickle from the blackened sky.

Evelynn glanced at one of the boxes on the floor and immediately saw a photo album laying on the surface, opened to pictures consisting of her friend and her dead sister. She gave an inaudible sigh of sadness and looked back to Alice.

"Hey, you wanna get takeout?"

Alice thought about it for a second, figuring out if she had an appetite. But she didn't.

"No thanks. Actually, I think I'm gonna take a walk." She hopped off the windowsill and grabbed her jacket that was draped over a chair in the corner of the room.

"A walk? It's, like, eleven at night."

"I know. I won't be long."

Evelynn frowned slightly but nodded with a smile and left the room.

"Well I'm gonna order a pizza and watch Netflix!" She called from the other room, making Alice genuinely giggle as she walked through the living room and out of their new front door.

* * *

The rain really started to pick up after ten minutes of walking. So much so that Alice felt the need to find shelter and wait 'til it had died down. She hoped she'd know the way back. But she was always good at remembering things like that. She spotted a bar as she turned a corner, the lights inside indicating that it was still open as she made a beeline for it.

Opening the door, she heard the sound of a cue hitting a snooker ball and quiet country music playing throughout the place as she removed the hood from her head. She was completely soaked as a puddle began to form beneath her, rain dripping from her hair. She wrung her jacket sleeves over the doormat, wiped her All Star trainers and looked up to find that everyone in the bar had their eyes on her. She suddenly felt very self-conscious as she looked back at the cliché-looking customers, one man even sporting an eye patch with a leather waistcoat and tattoos covering his arms. Alice cleared her throat and approached the bar, taking a seat on a grubby stool as the bartender stood before her.

"What'll be?" He asked with a gravelly voice and Alice found herself taken aback by his accent. She forced herself not to smile even though she was amused at how strange he sounded compared to the usual English accent she'd hear on a daily basis. This was going to take some getting used to.

"Just an orange juice, please." God, she sounded posh.

The bartender cracked an amused smile and looked at his other customers with bewilderment, all of whom looked back with a smirk.

"An orange juice?" He asked like he didn't even know what it was. Confused Alice looked around at everyone with a beer in their hands and then back to the man.

"Uh..yes. Please." She always had to be polite. It never hurt to be polite.

The bartender belly-laughed deeply as a few others snickered under their breaths.

"Well, missy, we don't sell orange juice." He finally admitted after a good minute of laughter.

"I thought everywhere had to sell an alternative to alcohol?"

"Well we did sell alternatives," he paused to look around once again, "but people never bought alternatives. So we stopped."

"Oh." Alice said and wiped some hair away from her face.

"I can get ya some water!" He laughed again as Alice rolled her eyes. Her first impressions of her new neighbours weren't exactly great.

"No, that's okay, thanks." She sighed as he walked off to serve someone else. The rain was still chucking it down outside.

Alice moved from the stool to an empty booth by the window and continued to stare out of it for a while. Every website she'd checked on the internet had said that Gotham City was full of crime that never seemed to cease wherever you went, but she hadn't seen anything yet. A part of her was kind of looking forward to some excitement. She'd felt numb for way too long and she figured some adrenaline would do her good. But she wasn't going to be stupid and let anything bad happen to her. She didn't want to die. But she was bored, and she wanted to fix that. What could she do though? Take up a hobby? Start going to yoga classes? The thought of it made her want to start learning how to make a noose. What could a 20-year-old do in Gotham City?

"You look bored out of your mind."

The sudden voice startled her and she whipped her head around to see who it belonged to. A tall, thin man stood at the end of the booth's table with short, dark hair that spiked up. He looked a bit older than her, but it can't have been by much as he hardly had any wrinkles. He was smiling pleasantly and she couldn't help noticing that he was actually rather handsome in his leather jacket and black skinny jeans.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's fine." She smiled back.

"May I sit here?"

Alice was a little confused as to why he wanted to but she had no reason to say no.

"Of course." She gestured to the empty seat which he sat in, placing a pair of black gloves onto the table. The smile never left his lips.

"Thanks. Interesting accent by the way. Very British."

"Well, that is where I hail from."

"So, you on vacation?" He queried. Alice was still a little confused as to why he had randomly began talking to her, but she figured it was just the American way. They were more sociable than Brits were and it was pretty cool and weird to experience it first hand.

"Actually, I just moved here. Today, in fact."

"Wow. You live close?"

"Just a few minutes down the road."

"How you liking it so far?"

"It's rainy. But I'm used to that. Besides, I like the rain." She smiled again as the two glanced out of the window at the fast-falling water.

"What's your name?" She looked back to him and found he had his eyes back on her. She squinted her eyes suspiciously at him.

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

He shrugged. "I find you rather intriguing."

"Well, I apologize, but there's nothing intriguing about me."

"Now, that's gotta be a lie."

There was something...off about this man. Alice couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it just seemed like there was more to him - like he wasn't completely innocent - though she didn't know why she'd think of him like that in the first place. Perhaps because she tried to see the best in people, even when nothing good was there.

"Why don't you tell me your name first?" Alice proposed and the guy smiled wider.

"I'm Peter," He said, "your turn."

"Alice." She held out her hand in greeting which Peter took lightly. They shook.

"So, Alice," Peter began, retrieving his hand, "why the move?"

Alice went stiff at the question, her brain automatically thinking of the reason which she hadn't thought about in a good twenty minutes. She felt ashamed that Emily hadn't crossed her mind for such a long time. Was she already beginning to forget? So soon?

"Are you okay?"

She made eye contact with Peter and found that familiar look of worry displayed on his face. That was definitely one of the reasons she'd moved. She'd needed to get away from that look.

"It's just a touchy subject," she forced a reassuring smile, "Can we talk about you?"

Peter nodded, "Sure. What do you wanna know?"

Composing herself, Alice thought for a moment.

"Where are you from?" She asked, wiping some more damp hair from her face.

He glanced out of the window, waving his hand at the scenery, "Born and raised here in Gotham."

"Really?"

"Mhmm."

"You never felt like leaving?"

A hint of disappointment washed across his face, like a dream that was never lived.

"Never had the money. I wasn't exactly born into a wealthy family." He said as he looked over to the bartender, nodding to indicate he wanted a drink. The bartender somehow knew what he wanted.

"Don't you have a job?" Alice wasn't sure whether she should be pushing the questions, but she really didn't want to talk about herself. Repressing was for the best, right?

The bartender came over with a glass of whiskey and set it down in front of Peter. Peter wrapped a hand around it and answered, "Of sorts." He took a sip.

He obviously didn't want to get into detail, but that just made Alice more curious. She gave him an odd look, that he took notice of, and he smiled. He looked both ways before he leaned in a little closer. He motioned for Alice to meet him halfway, which she did with interest.

"I'm guessing you don't have a job yet." It was more of a statement than a question, but Alice shook her head in response anyway.

"Well, the guy I work for, he's kinda lookin' for more..." He took another sip of his drink before he continued, "...employees, should we say."

Alice didn't like the way he spoke about his "job". It was very vague and dodgy, and if she knew anything at all, it sounded almost criminal. And then it clicked. Her eyes widened with shock and horror.

"I'm not desperate enough to be," she whispered the next part to avoid strange looks, "going into _prostitution_."

Peter was taken aback but laughed it off.

"What? No. Nothing like that."

Alice sighed with relief as Peter returned to his previous position.

"Well, I can't tell you the specifics of the job. But if you're interested, I can take you to the place and you can see for yourself." He said this as more of a question rather than a statement, and Alice was still unsure about the whole thing. Like she'd told herself before, she wasn't going to go getting herself into trouble. But, to be honest with herself, she was extremely intrigued. It held a certain mystery and, with her bored self, she was seriously considering it. But the responsible side of her spoke up. It was probably for the best.

"You know," she began with a kind smile, "I think I'm okay for now. I mean, I've only just moved in and there are a lot of things I need to figure out before I think about getting a job and it's all very confusing, moving to a new country and all, and I-"

"It's okay, Alice." Peter interrupted, but it wasn't out of rudeness. Alice had begun to blab so she gave him an apologetic look.

Peter then reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out a small piece of white card. He laid it face down on the table.

"If you ever change your mind," he slid the slid the card across the table until it lay in front of her, "give me a call."

Alice picked up the card and flipped it over in her fingers to reveal, in black ball point pen, his name, Peter Roth, and his number.

Peter wrapped his fingers around his glass and downed the rest of the whiskey in one, standing up when he had finished. He donned his black gloves and headed to the door before turning to address her once more.

"I look forward to hearing from you, Alice." And with that, he flashed that smile of his with a nod and walked out of the door, not glancing her way when he passed the window that she watched after him out of.

Alice was left confused by the whole conversation. She had always been a curious person, even from a young age, always wanting to know what was going on, especially if it concerned her. So when this random stranger, who called himself Peter, offered her an unknown job that sounded like the dodgiest thing she'd ever heard, she was very disappointed to turn it down. But, again, it was for the best, and she would be forever wondering what he did for a living.

Soon after Peter had left, Alice decided it was time she went home too. She stood up slowly, pocketing Peter's information and glancing over at the bartender who wasn't paying any attention to her whatsoever. Then she walked out of the door, the rain having stopped completely.

* * *

**A/N: **_So, here it is, the first chapter. Thank you to the two reviewers who said you were interested - it was really awesome that you wanted to see more :) Constructive criticism is always welcome and thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter Two: The Blonde Intern

Getting to sleep was hard enough as it was. Now Alice was struggling to breathe after a crippling nightmare in which her sister had slit her wrists in front of her, the blood pouring out like a waterfall from hell.

Alice coughed and spluttered, tears gushing from her eyes and tangling her collarbone-length auburn hair. Evelynn came rushing in, knowing exactly what to do. She climbed onto the bed next to Alice and wrapped her arms around her shaking body, holding her tightly and rocking back and forth, hushing her wails as she stroked her hair. She rested her head on Alice's shoulder as she shed her own tears.

"It's all my fault! I couldn't see! I should've known - I'm her sister!" Alice cried, the pain overtaking everything she knew.

"How could you have known, Alice? It wasn't anyone's fault."

"But I could have done something!"

"There was nothing anyone could do."

Alice heaved. Her neck ached like it was craving attention and she felt like she was going to be sick.

"Why does it hurt so much?"

Evelynn didn't answer. She couldn't. There was nothing she could say that would make it better. The only thing that would make it better would be if Emily were here. But, of course, if she were, they wouldn't be in this situation. So Evelynn continued to console her friend while the tears glinted on her own cheeks, and Alice continued to suffer with the pain of losing her little sister.

* * *

Alice looked at herself in the mirror the next morning (well, afternoon) and sighed. Large purple rings circled her eyes like bruises, and her hair had seemingly been pulled through a thorny bush. Her cheeks were sore from crying and her throat was dry from wailing. Last night had been a rough one and she was happy to be over it. But there was always this night, and the next, and the next etc. to dread. She couldn't do this every time she went to bed. She needed sleep. She needed help.

After a shower, Alice headed downstairs and grabbed an apple that she'd most likely play with instead of eat. She slumped down in a chair at the dining table where Evelynn was quietly eating some cereal, a newspaper in her other hand. The small TV sat near the microwave, quietly humming away to itself.

"You know, I only got woken up four times by police sirens last night," Evelynn said with triumph without looking away from the paper, eating a spoonful of cereal.

"Five times." Alice muttered. Evelynn looked up from her paper and gave Alice an empathetic look.

"You know I don't mind helping you, Alice."

"Well, _I_ mind. These nightmares aren't helping anyone. You must be tired, too."

Evelynn looked away from Alice's stare, confirming the assumption.

"You've been getting up every night for three months, Ev. It's taken a toll on you."

Evelynn sighed and the two were silent for a few moments. Alice's hearing focused on what was being said on the TV.

"...been gone for a year. Where is he?. The criminals are starting to think it's safe to come out of hiding 'cause they think he's not coming back. We need him now more than ever!"

Alice could only assume that the man was talking about that Batman guy.

"Thank-you, caller," the news man said, "So where is the Batman? We'd like to hear your thoughts on our website, Gotham Cable News, forward-slash, The Batman. Over to Paul with the weather."

Alice stopped listening and looked back at Evelynn.

"I'm going to try therapy."

Evelynn looked up from her paper once again. She put down her spoon and reached across the table to hold Alice's hand. She smiled.

"I really think it will help." She said as she squeezed her hand and Alice smiled back.

"I hope it does."

* * *

"Miss Howlett?"

Alice stood up and smiled.

"Right this way." The nurse smiled back and turned to walk down the corridor he had just emerged. Alice followed with a pang of worry in the pits of her stomach. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Alice followed the nurse until he stopped at a room. The name "Dr. Eva Nicolas" was emblazoned in black text upon a golden plaque on the dark wood door. The nurse knocked lightly and opened the door for Alice.

"Thank you." Alice meekly replied as the nurse smiled again and walked back down the corridor, leaving her alone with an open door and a tough decision. Alice could easily turn around and walk away or she could try and fix whatever needing to be fixed. The thoughts ran around her head while she hovered at the door waiting for some sort of direction.

"Are you going to come in?"

The confident voice startled her as she peered into the room. A tall, slim woman was sat in a stereotypical therapist's chair with a black, leather sofa adjacent to it. The woman had long, strawberry-blonde hair that rested a few inches below her collarbone and her neck was craned to look out of the open door at Alice. She smiled kindly and Alice returned it weakly, but she stepped inside of the room, closing the door behind her.

The therapist stood and walked up to Alice, extending her hand in greeting, "I'm Dr. Nicolas, but please, call me Eva."

"Alice."

"Take a seat."

After they shook hands, Eva gestured to the sofa and Alice perched herself on the edge while Eva settled back down in her chair.

Out of nervousness, Alice let her eyes wander across the office. The walls were a neutral cream and the wall to her left was taken up by three wall-length windows that looked out into a small wood where birds hopped over branches. Bookshelves covered the wall opposite her and a wooden desk sat just before the rows of books. The whole room was too clean and organised to feel comfortable in.

"I hope you don't mind, but since this is a teaching hospital, I've invited an intern to this session so they can learn from experience. I'll be the one assessing you but if you aren't comfortable with that, I can contact them."

"No, that's fine," Alice shook her head and smiled again, "We've all got to learn somehow."

"Quite right." Eva replied and reached to a small table next to her chair, picking up a clipboard.

"They're running a bit late, so we'll get started," she flipped through the papers on the clipboard and rested on one in particular, "Well, according to the form you filled out, you're struggling with bereavement."

Alice nodded slowly and glanced out of the window, brushing some hair away from her face.

"Would you like to elaborate for me?"

Alice took a deep breath and looked down at her hands that rested upon her lap. She fiddled with her fingers.

"My sister. I lost my sister three months ago."

"How did she pass?"

A lump began forming in Alice's throat, but she kept her brave look plastered on her face and sighed heavily.

"I'd really rather not talk about it."

Eva squinted at her slightly, a little confused, but then smiled another kind smile.

"I can only help you if you open up to me, Alice. I know losing someone is a huge weight to cope with, but not talking about it isn't going to make things any better."

"I-I know," Alice stuttered, "but, do you think we could build up to that? I just don't think I'm there yet."

Eva leaned back in her chair and nodded gently.

Suddenly, the door swung open with incredible force, like someone had just ploughed right into it, revealing a somewhat out of breath woman. She looked about in her early twenties, perhaps just a couple of years older than Alice, her golden blonde hair tied up into a neat ponytail and her sparkling blue eyes peering over a pair of black-rimmed spectacles. She wore a red blouse and a brown knee-length skirt, all topped off with a white, medical coat.

"Sorry I'm late." The girl breathed with a high-pitched Brooklyn accent, taking Alice off guard. It was a strange accent and she hadn't heard anything quite so unique sounding before.

"Finally, Miss Quinzel. Only fifteen minutes late this time." Eva said with a hint of frustration. Alice assumed that this must be the intern Eva had invited.

"Sorry again Docta' Nicolas. This is the last time, I swear."

"If you say so."

Alice stood up to greet the newcomer.

"Alice, this is Miss Quinzel," Eva introduced.

"Call me Harleen." The intern corrected with a friendly smile on her face, taking Alice's hand in hers and shaking it lightly.

Alice didn't even have to force a smile back at her. She did it automatically and without hesitation. Harleen was just about the friendliest person she had ever met, and she had only known her for thirty seconds. Her eyes were like holiday waters: a perfect blue, sparkling against the sunlight, and they held a warm innocence. It was impossible for anyone to dislike her.

Harleen brought the chair from the desk over to Eva's side and took a seat. Eva handed her Alice's form, along with some notes that she had just jotted down on a little notebook. The meek intern looked over them, flashing a sad but understanding smile at Alice.

Eva leaned in, grabbing Alice's attention, "So, Alice. Can we talk about your childhood?"

* * *

"So, I'll see you in a couple of weeks from now." Eva reminded Alice as she said goodbye at the door.

"Yes, I'll see you then. Thank you." Alice closed the door behind her and made her way for the exit. She heard the door open and close again when she had only taken a few steps.

"Hey, Alice?" The Brooklyn voice called from behind her and Alice stopped and turned around to face Harleen who wore a sad smile.

"I wanted ta say I'm sorry about ya sista. I've lost people too and it ain't easy, but I really think Docta' Nic. Is gonna help ya. She's really ace!"

Alice admired her optimism. It was something she was never especially good at – it was more Evelynn's thing.

"I don't know. I couldn't even talk about it."

Harleen shrugged, "It was only tha first session. No one expects ya ta spill ya whole life story."

Alice smiled, deciding that she really liked this girl. She wanted to be friends with her, because god knows she needed one.

"Are you busy right now?" Alice asked.

The intern rolled her eyes and huffed an exhausted sigh, "I gotta finish up some things. But I get off at three. Coffee?"

Alice nodded and Harleen smiled before turning on her heel and walking down the corridor.

* * *

The two women in their early twenties sat outside of a small café at half past four, obtaining their daily dose of caffeine and chatter. One blonde, one brunette; getting along like a house on fire. Alice had discovered a lot about Harleen. She was twenty-three, from the city of New York and was studying psychiatry at Gotham City University. She had been taking gymnastics lessons since she was six and was mad about dogs. (She also wasn't a natural blonde.)

"So, if you're studying psychiatry, why are you interning as an assistant therapist at the hospital?" Alice asked.

"I guess it's 'cause I wanted ta get a broad understandin' of tha human mind – to get a look at how tha brain works from different angles of different fields. It's a lotta fun!"

"So, what are you aiming to be? A psychiatrist?"

"Sorta," she peeped nervously and took a sip of her coffee, her eyes darting around the environment like she didn't want to own up to something. When Alice gave her a look, she rolled her eyes and set her cup down on the table.

"No judgin', okay?" she begged, to which Alice nodded fervently.

"Well, yes – I do wanna be a psychiatrist – but I'd like to work at a psychiatric hospital, specifically workin' with tha criminally insane. I find their minds so interestin' and fascinatin' and I really think I have tha skill to help 'em." Harleen's eyes twinkled with enthusiasm as she laid her goals onto Alice, "I've told others, but they all thought that _I_ was the crazy one for wantin' to be near people like that. I told 'em that it's not their fault – their brains are just wired a lil' differently to ours, and we gotta help 'em out."

Harleen let out a breath of air and analysed Alice's expression.

"You think I'm crazy, dontcha?" She said with a hint of embarrassment and Alice quickly swooped in to clear the air.

"No! Not at all! I think that's a great way to think. If only everyone thought like that." Alice smiled and Harleen smiled back, glad that someone finally understood her.

"Which hospital are you thinking about working in?" Alice pondered, even though nothing Harleen said would mean anything to her. She didn't know anywhere in Gotham yet.

Harleen wandered into her thoughts and Alice could see the mind map in her head. Harleen was trailing over everything she wanted in life and Alice envied her for it. She knew exactly what she wanted to do and she wasn't going to let anything or anyone get in her way of accomplishing her dreams. Why couldn't Alice have that?

"I'd love ta work at Arkham Asylum," she began, "It holds all tha major patients. I've heard it's got a pretty bad rep, but maybe I could turn things around." She winked and held her cup up towards Alice, with her meeting her half-way with her own. The two ladies clinked and continued to talk and laugh for another couple of hours.

* * *

**A/N: **_Hello again :D Here is (finally) chapter two of Gotham's Newest Resident. I know it's been almost three weeks, and I could make up an excuse, but the fact is that I'm a rather lazy person who is a pro at procrastination. So, you probably shouldn't expect a set date for when I post a new chapter, because I'm not reliable like that :s _

_However, I hope you like the addition of Harleen Quinzel :D She's one of my all-time favourite Batman characters and I just couldn't resist writing her into my story. And I know ya'll probably want some Joker but, don't fret! I'll get there soon...ish ;)_

_Anyway, thanks for the follows and the reviews. It warms my heart that people actually like my writing (as I've never really been a writer) and I hope you'll stick around :3_

_-Beth x_


	3. Chapter Three: Bad Guys

The next two weeks lumbered on at what seemed an incredibly slow pace. Alice had tried to free herself from the boredom that occupied her mind but nothing had worked. She'd attempted yoga, poetry, cooking, even pottery classes but they seemed to make things worse. Emily was still haunting her nights, making sure that Alice hardly got a wink of sleep, and with Evelynn working at that café in the heart of the city, Alice had nothing to distract her. She couldn't even see Harleen all that much due to her studying.

The apartment, however, had benefited greatly from Alice's displeasure. She cleaned it, thoroughly and regularly, to loud music while she hummed away to herself. It temporarily eased her mind and gave her something to do.

One afternoon while Alice was dusting the pristine shelves, she decided to do some laundry. She plucked some clothes from Evelynn's room (including some clean ones) and sauntered into her room to collect some of her own. Her floor always had a few items of clothing dumped on it so the wash was never really wasting electricity. Picking up her black jeans she, for once, remembered to check the pockets for any loose change or other items that could be a nuisance. Turning out the pockets, a white card fell onto the floor face down. Alice frowned, picked it up, and turned it over in her fingers.

It was the card that Peter had given her back at the bar a few weeks ago.

_If you ever change your mind, give me a call._

His words replayed in her mind and a rush of excitement bubbled in her veins. The job he'd talked about was a complete mystery and it was impossible for her to say that she hadn't been intrigued by his offer.

She wasn't desperate then. She was now. She was beginning to lose her mind with all this cleaning crap. She hated cleaning. She loved a mystery.

Suddenly nervous, Alice scuttled out of her room, heading for the telephone in the kitchen. She flicked the card on the counter beside the phone and took a breath. She was torn. Her foot began to tap uncontrollably on the tiles as she bit her lip, her eyes darting intently from the card to the phone.

A good five minutes went by before she'd even plucked up the courage to just touch the phone, let alone hold it in her hands. She grazed her thumb over the buttons and considered her options. Peter seemed like a nice guy – she was sure that nothing terrible was going to happen to her if she merely checked out what all the fuss was about. Right? She hoped so as she dialed his number and held the receiver to her ear with shaky fingers.

"Hello?" He answered on the first ring.

"H-hi," Alice stuttered, startled by the sudden voice, "It's Alice. The girl from the bar?"

"Alice!" He chimed down the phone, his voice silky smooth. She melted a little bit, "I thought you were never going to call."

"Me neither," she admitted and felt him smile on the other end.

"What can I do you for?"

She paused but realised it was too late to turn back. Her mind was all made up.

"I was wondering if I could take you up on that offer?"

* * *

Peter had been delighted to hear that she was interested in his "line of work" as he had put it. She had informed him though that she wasn't planning on catching the next train to trouble town, which he had laughed at. There was something off about his laugh too, but he was good at changing the subject.

He'd offered to pick her up in his car and she had accepted. 20 minutes later, they were driving through some dodgy-looking streets with people trying to sell things from poorly maintained stalls, and chickens flapping their feathers everywhere. Alice hadn't been in a neighbourhood like this before – so derelict and deprived, ignored by anyone of importance.

"Where are we?" She finally asked Peter who sighed with frustration at a man who had just walked out in front of the car, missing it by inches.

"This is the Narrows. It's a shit hole." He said bitterly as they emerged from the apparent marketplace onto some clearer road.

Alice wasn't sure if the sun had set or the pollution from the fumes of the Narrows was blocking it out. Whatever it was, it was dark and the atmosphere suddenly shifted. She was nervous and a little scared as Peter continued to drive out of the residential area and into gloomy alleyways.

The car slowed as they turned into an empty-looking alley with a storage unit door in the wall at the end of it. Alice frowned slightly, her heart beginning to beat a little faster as the car crawled to a stop. Peter turned off the engine. He turned to her.

"You ready?"

Alice nodded sheepishly without looking at him. He chuckled.

"Don't worry. You're just looking around, remember?"

That comforted Alice slightly. He was right. She was just looking around and that was all. She wasn't going to die or get into any trouble, so what was there to be worried about?

The two got out of the car and Alice lingered behind Peter as they walked up to the metal storage unit door. He knocked a special knock, waited a few seconds and then announced that it was him to someone on the other side of the metal. He stepped back and, after another few seconds, the door began to open inch by inch until the whole thing was open, revealing dimly lit room. A big man with a beard nodded at Peter and stared at Alice as Peter took her hand and led her into the room past the man. Peter opened a normal door at the back of the room as Alice heard the previous one being closed. She didn't have a lot of time to think about what she was doing here – she just let herself be guided by a guy she had met once in an odd bar. She really was desperate.

But Alice was pleasantly surprised when she officially saw the next room. It was very well lit, unlike the previous room, and was bursting with activity. The room was huge and looked like an old boxing gym. There was a large square in the middle of the room with bleachers on the two walls opposite it. Looking up, Alice saw a small office overlooking the arena-of-sorts. There were a couple of games of pool being played and some people playing card games on a table in the corner. There was beer and chatter and laughter and arm wrestles. It was like a really big bar. However, in a separate corner, distant from the ruckus, was a table with a map spread across it and a board with writing and arrows drawn on the paper. They looked like plans of some kind.

"What is this place?" Alice asked in wonder and Peter smiled at her expression.

"Welcome to the Garage." He announced triumphantly as he gestured all around them.

Alice looked at him in disbelief, "It's a bit bigger than that, don't you think?"

Peter laughed lightly, "Well, we like the irony. Come on, I'll show you around." He was bursting with excitement, and Alice smiled at his child-like disposition.

Peter, still holding her hand, slowly led her further into the room, allowing Alice a better look at the occupants. There weren't a lot of people there, but enough to make a certain amount of noise that almost made her head hurt. Loud cheering from one area made Alice pay attention to it: a man and a woman were sat opposite each other, hands clasped together in an arm wrestle, veins bursting from the foreheads and eyes locked as they both fought for the spot of champion. Eventually, the man surrendered with a huff and the woman slammed his arm down on the table. The crowd erupted into a mixed response of victory and loss, some members passing each other money that they had assumingly bet on the match. The woman stood victorious with her arms in the air and a malicious grin plastered on her face.

Alice didn't particularly like the look (or behaviour) of the crowd she saw. They were a lot like the people she had seen in the bar, but more animated and kind of threatening – the sort of people you'd avoid on the streets if you wanted to keep your money in your pocket…or your life.

She subconsciously squeezed Peter's hand as he led her past a group of people playing a card game and into a small corridor. The sounds of the rowdy bodies became muffled and Peter opened a door to their left.

"These are the sleeping quarters and through a door further down the hall are the bathrooms."

Alice looked around at the cheap, metal bunk beds that lined the walls of the dim room. This place was big, but it sure as hell wasn't luxurious.

Peter walked back out of the room and Alice followed, unnerved that he had let go of her hand. She tailed him back into the loud area to the other side where he showed her the kitchen. Alice saw a mouse scurry across the floor which made her wonder what the quality of the food was like here.

He showed her the planning area (but not the plans) and finally led her to a door at the back of the building. Opening it revealed a flight of stairs that led up.

"This is where the tour ends, I'm afraid." Peter informed and pulled the door back to a close. Alice gave him an '_are you kidding me?' _look to which he shrugged.

"What's up there?" She queried.

"They lead to the office" He said and turned to walk back into the main hall.

Alice followed curiously, "Why can't I go up there?"

She followed him to the closest set of bleachers where he sat himself down. She joined him.

"It's the boss's office. He don't like people in there. I was just showing you the stairs so you'd know for future reference." He looked up at the office and Alice followed his gaze.

"Is he in there?"

"Nah, he's out. Don't know when he'll be back."

The two were silent and Alice felt herself becoming used to the noises. Her and Peter were like this for a good few minutes before she realised she needed to ask.

"Peter?"

He looked down at her suddenly, as if pulled out of a trance, "Yeah?"

"Why did you bring me here?"

Peter thought about the question for a little bit and then shrugged.

"I thought you might like to join us."

Alice frowned slightly and looked around before returning her eyes on him.

"Join what? Who are you guys?"

Peter went quiet again and looked down at his feet. Then he chuckled lightly and looked back up.

"He likes to call us 'Gotham's Liberators'."

Alice cocked her head slightly to the side and pondered his answer for a moment. 'Gotham's Liberators'? What on Earth? And who was this boss he talked about?

"What's that supposed to mean?" She questioned to which he sighed. She could tell he didn't really know how to explain himself.

"Well – we're just a bunch of guys who believe that Gotham isn't in the right hands: mobs crawling everywhere, corrupt police – not to mention the Batman. Gotham deserves better than that. And that's what we're aiming for – a better Gotham."

She still didn't understand. She didn't know if these guys were good guys or bad ones, but her gut told her it was the latter. People always said to trust your gut.

"So…you're an organisation who is trying to make Gotham a better place?"

He nodded slowly, "I guess, yeah."

"Then why is it so dodgy here? Why are you hidden in such a bad neighbourhood if you're trying to do good things?"

Peter frowned and sighed heavily before standing up. He reached his hand out to Alice and she took it hesitantly. He walked through the hall and past the planning area until they reached another door. This one was locked. Peter reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring of keys which jangled as he searched for the correct one. Finding it, he inserted it into the lock and the door creaked open.

A flight of stairs going down came into view and Peter gestured for her to go down first. She looked into the pool of darkness, unsure, and looked back to him. He nodded and smiled reassuringly. She looked back down and clung to the stair rail as she began descending into the unknown.

Alice stumbled slightly when she reached the bottom of the stairs, but Peter's hand on her arm kept her steady. Suddenly, a light flickered on in the centre of the basement and Alice gasped.

Stacks of guns, grenades and other weapons lined shelves and tables that covered the area of the basement. Alice had never seen anything like it, especially not in these numbers.

"Our methods might seem a bit extreme to a lot of people." Peter said and Alice spun around to face him, shocked at what she was witnessing.

"What exactly do you guys do?" She challenged and he looked at her like she was saying something crazy.

"Did you even watch the news last year?"

"Some of it."

"See anything about the Batman guy?"

"I was never really interested in 'superheroes'."

Peter rolled his eyes and pulled his phone from his pocket. He tapped it a few times and then handed it to Alice. She took it from him and saw that he'd opened up a video on YouTube entitled 'Guy dressed as a bat in Gotham City'. The video was of poor quality, filmed with a phone most likely, but it was clear enough to see a man gliding from one building to another with what seemed like wings. He was dressed in black from head to toe and he really did look like a bat, his head-mask complete with pointed ears.

"Watch the next one too." Peter said and Alice tapped on the next video, this one entitled 'Batman saves hostages'.

The video showed a bank robbery and it seemed it was being shot from one of the civilians inside of the bank itself, as Batman was throwing punches and kicks into the three robbers. He wasn't just some guy trying to be a superhero – he really knew what he was doing. He had the skills to fight crime. But why? Why was this guy risking his life doing the police's job?

The title of the next video caught her eye: 'Joker and His Henchmen Crash Billionaire Bruce Wayne's Fundraiser'. She tapped it, intrigued. The scene was a party but the atmosphere was not – everyone looked terrified for their lives as a hunched over man wearing a purple suit and a painted face terrorized them, asking where 'Harvey Dent' was. Joined by his clown-masked henchmen, he had green, greasy hair and he was scary looking, two jagged scars forming a smile at the sides of his mouth, but he was incredibly captivating. Alice had never seen anyone so enigmatic and found her eyes glued to his form on the small screen. And then, all of a sudden, Batman shows up out of nowhere and starts beating the henchmen, punching the mask off of one of them. The camera focused on that man and, looking closely, she recognised him.

It was Peter.

Alice looked up at Peter, shocked, who had been watching her reaction. She looked back down at the phone but the video had ended. She didn't say anything as she handed it back to Peter.

Her gut had been right. Peter and everyone upstairs _were_ the bad guys, and this Batman was like a hero. Or at least that's what most of Gotham's residents thought. And The Joker – he was the boss that Peter had mentioned. Alice didn't know why, but she wasn't afraid anymore. She couldn't explain it, not even to herself. All she knew was that she wanted to know more, about everything that had happened last year and everything that was happening now.

"That your boss?"

Peter nodded, "Wait 'til you meet him for real. You're gonna want to prepare for that. That is…if…" he trailed off but Alice knew what he was asking.

"I don't know," she began, "this is, like, criminal stuff."

"Don't think of it like that, then. Think of it as more of an activist group against corruption and lies. Sounds better, right?" He smiled, but there was still one thing bugging her.

"But what about Batman? He seems like an okay guy."

Peter scoffed, "He's the worst of them all. The people of Gotham don't need a self-righteous guy in mask flying around thinking he's better than everyone else. They need liberation."

Alice thought about it, but she had been given too much information at once that she couldn't process it right then and there. She needed to do her own research and find out everything that had happened last year with Batman and The Joker. Although, she knew she had already made up her mind. Her bored brain knew this was all too exciting to pass up.

"This is crazy!" She squealed and she couldn't hide the smile that pulled at her lips. What was wrong with her? Did she actually want to join a band of criminals and go against the law? She had never been like this – she was never the rebel. She had been a good kid her whole life, but had suddenly realised that perhaps that wasn't the road she wanted anymore. She wanted something more.

"I need to think about it." She said after a while and Peter nodded.

"Of course."

* * *

Peter had driven her home and had trusted her with not spilling the beans to anyone. He had jokingly threatened her that he knew where she lived, but a part of her knew that he was serious.

Walking through the door, she was greeted by Evelynn who was watching TV with a bowl of popcorn on her lap. Alice shut the door and let out an exhausted sigh. Her brain had been filled to the brim today, but she was exhilarated. She felt good for the first time in a long time.

"Did you have fun at your writing class?" Evelynn asked, stuffing a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

Alice smiled.

"Yeah, I did."

* * *

**A/N: **_Chapter three :D Thanks for the reviews/follows/favourites - it really makes my day to see that people enjoy the story :') Ya'll are too kind! Hope you enjoy this one and thanks for reading!_

_\- Beth x_


	4. Chapter Four: Mind Made Up

Alice didn't exactly know how long to wait for it to seem like she had really thought about Peter's offer. She had already made up her mind – she was doing it – but she didn't want him to know that it took her only seconds to decide. She figured it was due to some sort of pride factor she had, though she never considered herself to be that bothered about it. Evelynn was kept in the dark, believing Alice had enjoyed a wonderful writing class where she had had "the curtains covering her imagination drawn to let in the rays of creativity".

Alice didn't like lying to her friend. She was good at it, but Evelynn had never lied to her. Well, not to her knowledge, anyway. It would be useful if Alice could at least tell one person so she wouldn't have to go through this alone. But, alas, she was sworn to secrecy. She didn't mind all that much.

That evening, Alice turned on her laptop and went straight to Google. She thought about what she should search, and then shrugged, simply typing in 'Batman'. There were thousands of results.

_Oh, Google. You have all the answers._

A little ashamed that she hadn't paid much attention to this Batman when the rest of the internet were experts, she began her research by clicking on the first result.

About an hour later, Alice's eyes were still glued to the screen, absorbing every little piece of information she could find. She was truly amazed by Batman and it seemed that everyone else was too. Of course, there was pretty much a 50/50 split when it came down to who supported him and who didn't, but the question most asked by everyone appeared to be '_who is the Batman_?' There were tons of websites dedicated to this guy and huge discussion forums on whom he could possibly be. Merchandise of him was being sold in stores and there were even rumours of comics being written with him as the main character. The speculation surrounding this 'Masked Vigilante' was insane, people blaming him for causing the crime in Gotham City instead of fixing it. Alice had yet to decide her opinion on him, but she was sure that she didn't hate him.

Concerning the events that happened last year with Peter's boss, The Joker, Alice had also found a lot of information. Like Batman, no one knew who he was. All anyone knew was that he was a psychopathic, sadistic serial-killer who felt no remorse for his insane actions. His face was always painted with greasepaint: white covering his face, charcoal black surrounding his eyes and crimson red slathered over his lips and cheeks, home to two horrible, jagged scars that formed a grotesque grin. His hair was spray painted green and he wore a dirty purple suit that stopped a few inches below his knees.

Last year, he had suddenly emerged in Gotham and had immediately started causing havoc by robbing a bank. Then a body (dressed as Batman) was found swinging outside of the mayor's office, his face painted like The Joker's and the sides of his mouth sliced into a smile, a joker card pinned to him reading, 'Will the real Batman please stand up?' A video was released the same day to the news consisting of the clown questioning a man called Brian Douglas – the dead body. Alice watched the video and felt sick as The Joker made fun of him and hurt him, and she was startled when his voice ripped into a snarl. The psychopath turned the camera to face himself, warning viewers that, until Batman showed the world who he really was, people would die every day. The video cut off with a manic laugh and Alice assumed that The Joker had killed Brian.

He popped up next in an article about him crashing a fundraiser for district attorney Harvey Dent, held by billionaire Bruce Wayne. Alice recalled the video she had seen on YouTube and figured this was what she had seen. Batman has shown up to save the day, but The Joker hadn't been caught because he threw a woman, Rachel Dawes, out of a window, Batman opting to save her instead of taking down the criminal.

Another article caught her eye entitled, 'Assistant DA Rachel Dawes killed in explosion at 250 52nd Street'.

Clicking on it, Alice began to read. It informed audiences how Rachel had been kidnapped by The Joker and tied up in a room with drums of gasoline connected to a bomb. Harvey Dent, had also been kidnapped, but had been rescued at the last minute by Batman. For her, though, it was too late. It looked like the police had been given a choice and, even with the help of the Caped Crusader, they couldn't save both. Reading a little further gave Alice the information that Gotham General Hospital had been blown up by the Joker – the hospital that Dent was in and he went missing after everyone had been evacuated.

Alice trawled through articles and websites and forums, discovering every bit of detail there was to be discovered about this maniacal killer. He had threatened lives, _taken_ lives, and still, like Batman, Alice didn't hate him.

_What's wrong with you?! He murdered people! Broke families! And you don't hate him?_

With a growl of frustration at herself, Alice slammed her laptop shut and shoved it away from her. She looked up to the ceiling and filed her lungs. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, a headache making its way to the front of her brain.

Her mind beginning to wander, Emily soon found her way in front of Alice's eyelids. She smiled at Alice and waved, the wind blowing her hair a little. She was in a park, leaves making an autumnal carpet as children and dogs played in the background. She seemed to glow with an aura of happiness and her eyes twinkled as the sun broke through bare branches.

A memory.

Alice smiled back as tears left trails on her cheeks. It wasn't often she would remember a happy memory of her sister. She remembered that day well now. She and Emily, after weeks of cold weather, saw the rays of sunshine one morning outside of their window and looked at each other at the same time, without saying a word or uttering any sound. They ran outside and absorbed the heat, amazed it wasn't even the slightest bit chilly when it had been raining just the day before. The puddles had almost evaporated, leaving droplets of warm moisture everywhere. They had never seen a day so beautiful. They had had so much fun.

It was only a moment before the memory began fading back into the depths and Alice reached out instinctively. She toppled on her chair and her eyes flew open. She grabbed the desk to stop herself from falling. Shaking her head, she scrunched her eyes shut and tried to force her memory back. But it didn't return.

"Emily…" She whispered, but she was helpless. She cried herself to sleep again that night, as quietly as possible.

* * *

"So, Alice," Eva sat across from Alice, in exactly the same chair in exactly the same clean, organised room, with her hair tied up in a ponytail this time, though – variety. Harleen sat beside her and smiled whenever Alice looked to her.

"How would you feel about talking about Emily today?"

Alice was just about to object before Eva continued, "You don't have to talk about how she passed – I'd just like to know a little more about her; her age, her hair colour, her favourite book. Anything you feel comfortable talking about."

Alice looked down at her hands like she always did when she was thinking.

_It couldn't hurt that much, right?_

"Okay, well," she began, "she was fifteen. She had chocolate brown hair and beautiful green eyes. I was always jealous of her eyes. Everyone always said how pretty she was."

Alice trailed off. She felt the lump beginning to form in her throat but she was determined to continue.

"She wasn't a fan of reading. She was a slow reader. But she loved music. It was the best thing to express how she felt. And she didn't have a favourite genre. She loved all kinds of music – it all spoke to her in one form or another. She didn't go anywhere without her iPod."

Before she knew it, Alice was a library dedicated to her sister. The information and knowledge of every detail of Emily poured out of her like an infinite jug of liquid. She was surprised and proud that she didn't cry and figured it was probably because she was remembering memories she thought she had forgotten. Eva's hand was probably hurting with how much she was writing in her notebook, but Harleen was the opposite, sitting on the edge of her seat intently watching and listening to Alice's stories about her and her sister, a big smile on her face.

Alice took a breath and found herself lost for words. The stories depleting, the only thing she could think about now was the ending to the story. The library's books had all been checked out. All but one. The last story, but it wasn't fiction.

Her heart clenched and she felt herself give up, surrendering to the pain. The tears flowed into her palms and a comforting hand rubbed her shoulder. She knew it was Harleen's. She breathed in deep and composed herself, wiping the tears and giving a slight smile to her friend to say she was okay. Harleen gave her a last rub on the shoulder and let her arm fall to her side.

Alice groaned, "Ugh, I need to stop crying."

"Not at all," Eva began, "You have to let it out. It's good for you."

"Not when I'm doing it all the time - whenever I think about her. I'm always exhausted. I can't sleep, I can't eat. I've lost so much weight in such a short amount of time. I'm worried."

"That's completely normal for people struggling with bereavement. Every time I see you, I'll ask you how you're feeling in regards to your health," Eva looked at her watch and re-folded the paper on her clipboard. It was then that Alice realised that she didn't particularly like Dr. Nicolas. She had the feeling that Eva didn't really care about _her_, just if Alice was another person she could "fix". Sure, she came across as nice and welcoming, but Alice just had that sort of vibe about her.

"Well, we've gone over our time, but I think you've made good progress here today. I'll see you in a couple weeks." Eva stood up and guided Alice out of the room, Harleen following close behind. The moment Alice was out of the room, the door closed with a thud and Alice knew she never wanted to go back in.

"Ya sista sounded wonderful." Harleen said softly.

"Yeah. She was." Alice solemnly replied and, murmuring a small goodbye to her friend, left the hospital.

* * *

"Hey, buddy! How'd it go?" Evelyn asked enthusiastically when Alice entered the apartment.

Alice slumped down on the sofa next to her and let her bag drop to the floor, "I don't like it, Ev."

Evelynn frowned, concerned and wrapped an arm around Alice, "How come?"

"You know I've never been a fan when it comes to talking about my feelings. And Dr. Nicolas just seems…disinterested."

"Huh," Evelynn shrugged, "you not gonna go anymore?"

Alice shook her head and Evelynn smiled, "At least you gave it a try."

Alice appreciated how Evelynn didn't make a big deal out of things. It put her at ease and made the whole situation easier – Alice didn't have to feel bad about herself when Ev was around.

"Thanks." Alice smiled at her friend and turned on the TV. Of course, it was the news.

"…and police are still on the search for The Joker who escaped Arkham Asylum a few months ago. Sources believe he is still in Gotham but nothing has been confirmed. Authorities are warning citizens to be extra cautious when walking the streets at night and to report any suspicious activity. If anyone has seen The Joker or knows where he's hiding, get in contact with Police Commissioner James Gordon at the GCPD."

Alice felt weird. She felt guilty. Because she knew exactly where his gang was. She could go to the police right now and turn them all in. But she didn't know if The Joker was with them, so what would be the point? He could always get another gang, and she liked Peter. She was caught between right and wrong but it didn't feel all that bad. It was rather exciting. So, if _this_ was exciting, how exciting would it be to actually _be _one of the bad guys? One of Gotham's Liberators.

"I'm going out." She announced and leapt off the sofa.

"Out? Where?"

Alice picked her bag up off the floor and hung it on her shoulder, "To see Harleen. I think she wanted to talk to me about something."

"Oh, okay. I'll have dinner alone then…again." Evelynn smirked at Alice and she chuckled.

"See ya, don't stay up."

"Alrighty. Later."

Alice practically ran out of the door and down the steps. She hailed a taxi and clambered in the back seat.

"The Narrows, please." She asked and the driver turned to look at her with a frown.

"The Narrows? What's a girl like you want down there? It's dangerous."

"I'm meeting a friend." She lied and he shrugged, returning to face the front.

"It's your funeral," he mumbled under his breath but Alice heard it. She gulped feeling butterflies in her stomach. The man drove and she fiddled with her fingers. This was a stupid idea. Alice found herself hoping that Batman was secretly still in Gotham as well as The Joker. She hoped he'd come out of the blue and save her if she was ever in trouble. But he was just one guy and had been gone for a long time, and this wasn't the movies. No one was going to save her if she got into trouble tonight and a part of her didn't mind. _What have I got to lose?_ it wondered. What indeed.

Alice shook her head. She was crazy. You'd have to be crazy to be doing something like this, right? Of course!

The car stopped outside of the dodgy beginnings of The Narrows, confusing Alice.

"Can't you go any further?" She asked.

He snickered, "Sorry lady, I ain't going down there. Are you sure you can't meet you friend anywhere else?"

Alice thought for a moment and then nodded, "I'm sure. Thanks anyway." She paid the man, exited the cab and watched it drive away.

The fumes made her cough a little so she pulled on her hood and tugged the strings so that her jacket covered her mouth. She hoisted her bag more firmly on her shoulder, made sure that, if anyone tried to snatch it, they'd have to take her arm off too, and set off into the Narrows.

The walk was stressful. She had lost count of the amount of people that had approached her offering her a number of things. A group of men had even begun stalking her, but she had been stealthy and had slunk away round alleyways and had eventually lost them. After that, it had taken her a while to get back to where she remembered Peter had driven, but she finally found herself opposite the storage unit door. She glanced around her to see if she had been followed by anyone by saw no one in the darkness. She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth to calm her nerves as she approached the door.

Thankful for her good memory, she replayed the knock on the metal that she remembered from Peter, and then recalled that she had to say who it was. She hoped Peter was here.

"Uh, it's the girl who was with Peter the other day. The girl with the brown hair?"

Everything was silent. So silent, it was unsettling. It hadn't worked. And why should it? None of them knew her. Peter hadn't even introduced her to any of them. If she were in their shoes, she wouldn't let her in either.

Just to make sure, Alice pressed her ear against the metal door and listened. She heard the shuffling of feet and then, out of the blue, the door began to ascend. She jumped back, startled and scared of what was going to happen when the door was fully open. She saw the guy's dark brown, scuffed shoes and then a pair of oddly coloured checkered socks. They were followed by his trousers – a pinstriped, dark purpley blue material.

Now Alice was a little confused – she hadn't seen this sort of style while observing the Garage's occupants.

And then her heart stopped when the door revealed a dirty purple suit that stopped a few inches below the guy's knees.

She knew who it was. She could turn around and run. But something was keeping her there. She didn't know if it was morbid curiosity or just plain stupidity, but she couldn't move. She was locked into place.

Gradually, the door revealed more and more and confirmed what Alice was dreading. He wasn't pulling the chain of the door – that was clear from the lack of movement on his part. And Alice just stood there and stared.

When the door was fully open, Alice gasped. She couldn't hold it back. She had seen his face only on screens, but in person it was shockingly different. It was painted white, with black around the eyes and red covering the mouth. The scars…jagged and rough, pulling at his cheeks. He wasn't smiling. He was staring intently at her, eyes squinted slightly. He was powerful and dangerous and enigmatic and frightening. He smiled and she backed away slightly. But she stared back – she was captivated.

He was leaning, one arm resting on the wall holding the chain of the door, the other arm hanging by his side. He was moving something around in his hand but Alice couldn't tell what it was.

He leaned in closer but held eye contact, probing the inside of his mouth with his tongue as he stared her down, the smile still on his lips.

"Well hello there, _beautiful_."

* * *

**A/N: **_Chapter four. Finally, am I right? Sorry about the wait, guys. College work and no motivation has been the thing recently, but I'm getting my mojo back, so hopefully, there should be chapters sooner :) But don't hold me to that :s _

_Anywho, thanks so much for all of your reviews! I'm so happy that you're pumped for this as I am :D And twenty followers is just amazing :') Tell me what you think of the chapter and thanks for reading!_

_~Beth x_


	5. Chapter Five: Captivated

Before Alice really knew what was going on, The Joker had grabbed her upper arm and was now dragging her with him into the Garage. She struggled against his grasp, trying to wiggle herself free, but he was much stronger than her, proving her attempts to be futile. He dragged her into the main arena of the building, mumbling as he did so. She didn't know what he was saying. Everyone turned their heads, some standing up, looking defensive, but not towards _him_ – towards her. _She_ was the intruder in their territory.

"Where's Peter?" The Joker called out, putting harsh emphasis on the 'P', to which everyone then looked around for their comrade.

After one guy had hopped off through the corridor on the right, Peter soon emerged with him, instantly locking eyes with Alice. Fear ran over his face as he saw her in his crazy boss' claws, and he picked up the pace as he made his way to them.

"This yours?" The Joker asked bitterly, and shook her arm in his grasp. She glared up at him. Even though she wanted to escape and run, he was even more captivating in real life than he was on a screen, and being this close to him meant she could see his scars in detail: they were horrifying, but he wouldn't look the same, or have the same effect, without them.

"Shit, boss. I'm sorry. I didn't think she'd come here by herself. I was thinking of her as a new recruit or some-"

"Shush shush shush." The Joker put a finger to his own lips and Peter shut up. It was strange for Alice to see Peter so afraid when he had only come across as strong and confident to her. Who really was this clown, and what sort of hold did he have on the people here? This was when she remembered that he still had a hold of her, and she was having none of that.

"Let go of me!" She hissed and, with a hard, unexpected shove, she was out of his grasp. She scowled at him as she clutched her now sore arm.

He stared at her incredulously and laughed as if she had just told the funniest joke he had ever heard.

"She's brave," he began, and clicked out the switchblade that was in his hand, "but _foolish_." He began approaching her menacingly, knife at the ready.

_This is it_, she thought. _This is how I'm going to die. Fantastic._

The only thing she could think of doing was trying to run and find another exit. _At least I'll go down fighting, right?_

"Boss," Peter interjected suddenly, panic in his wavering voice.

The Joker stopped and turned just his head to glance at him, "Hm?"

Peter hesitated, seemingly surprised that his boss had stopped at all, "Well, she's my responsibility. She's known about us for a while and she hasn't told anyone. She's already loyal."

"Fuc-" Alice began to object but Peter flashed her a look of warning and she shut up. After all, he _was_ trying to save her life.

The Joker pondered Peter's statement, licking his lips a few times in thought. Alice stared at him, wondering what was going on in that head of his. She still couldn't quite believe that she was face-to-face with a serial killer. If this wasn't excitement, she didn't know what was.

After a moment, the clown looked back to Peter, "You _know_ she'll have to stay here until she, uh, truly _grasps_ the rules, right?"

"Excuse me?" Alice exclaimed, ignoring the warning look from Peter this time, "I'm not staying here, and no crazy guy is going to-"

"Rule number _one!_" The Joker snarled, having clasped his gloved hand around her throat. She struggled for air, clawing at his grip. "_Never_ talk back to me," he growled and released her, nodding to one of his crew. Alice had only seconds to recover and look to see who he had nodded to before the butt of a gun slammed into her temple and she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Alice's eyes shot open but darkness surrounded her. For a minute, she thought she was blind, but, as she sat up frantically, her eyes adjusted to their surroundings and she realised that she was just in a dark room. More specifically, she was in the sleeping quarters of the Garage. Her head pounded and she raised her hand to her temple, locating the point of pain. She pressed her skin and an aching shot ran through her brain as she hissed. Bringing her hand back down, she found no blood on her fingers, assuring her that she didn't need to visit the hospital. Her throat ached too – _he_ really hadn't hesitated to use all of the force he had. She wondered what time it was.

Feeling a little woozy from the injury, Alice slipped from the cot and wobbled on her feet. She reached out and clung onto the metal of the bunk bed to keep her from falling. God, she was dizzy, and rather pissed off. There was no way that she was actually going to be kept here against her will, right? Could everyone here be that evil? Could Peter? Alice figured she'd better face the music so, steadying herself, she carefully shuffled out of the sleeping quarters, using the walls for support as she made her way into the main arena.

Alice clutched the corner of the wall, afraid of being seen straight away. It was noisy, once again, music and the roars of Gotham's Liberators created an intimidating atmosphere that she wondered if she could get used to. Alice liked peace and quiet, preferring to stay at home and read or write rather than going out to parties. It seemed pretty crazy here.

"Hey."

Alice jumped and snapped her head round the corner to see a young woman crunch into an apple, looking at her. She had very short black hair that was styled in a choppy fashion and had a very punky feel about her. Alice looked around before replying meekly.

"Hello."

The woman switched her apple from one hand to the other and wiped the juice from her fingers onto her brown jacket.

"I'm Emma," she introduced herself and Alice hesitantly shook her sticky hand.

"Alice."

"So, Alice – you're Roth's 'protégé', right?" Emma smirked and took another bite of her apple. Some juice spurted on Alice's cheek which she awkwardly rubbed off.

"I wouldn't put it like that," Alice admitted with slight venom in her voice. She was pissed off at Peter for not having the common decency to warn her about that clown. She was also angry at him for not telling her that she'd have to stay here until she was a "loyal pet". She was leaving with or without Peter's help.

She glanced up subconsciously to the windows of the office. _He_ was in there. She knew that much. And that forbidden room felt like forbidden fruit just begging to be eaten. She was curious. If Peter wasn't even allowed in there, who was? Only _him_? Holy cannoli, she needed to know.

"You wanna know too, huh?" Alice looked at Emma who had followed her stare to the office, "I've been wondering for months. Ain't no way we're gettin' in there."

"Do you know anyone who _has_ been in there?"

"Only Dominic," she then pointed past Alice to an oddly tall man with spiky reddish, copper hair and a black vest top showing is very pale skin. He was towering over plans of some kind, his hands pressing down on the table as he spoke with a few others around him. Alice knew by just his body language that he was the main plans guy.

"He's the main plans guy, and he's the only one of two (out of about thirty of us) that has been in the office."

"One of two?" Alice pondered, confused.

Emma scoffed, "The other one is _Samantha_," she pretended to twirl her hair in her fingers as she said the name how a little girl would, "I don't even _wanna_ know what J-man wants with her. But I can sure as hell guess," she shuddered and continued to gaze at Dominic.

Alice looked back to him too just in time to catch him smile at a joke – it was one of the most beautiful smiles she had ever seen.

A sigh exhaled beside her and she turned her head back to Emma. The biggest grin was plastered on her face as she watched Dominic, and it was clear to see the girl had feelings for him.

"You like him," Alice teased, receiving a horrified gasp from Emma. Her face was that of a protest, but she shrugged and sighed with a smile.

"I'm not gonna lie to ya – I have mega love for that man. Have ever since I met him. I feel like he gets me, you know?" Alice nodded to her rhetorical question, "It's a shame he don't see me that way though," Emma's face melted from amusement to melancholy as she looked away from her unrequited love and sunk her teeth into the apple's flesh once more.

Alice felt her pain, if only rather superficially, for she too liked a boy back when she was ten who didn't like her back. His name was Ben and he was very nerdy and sweet but never seemed to be interested in little Alice. That was her first taste of heartbreak. Her second was only three years ago when her boyfriend of two months had decided she was too fat and broke up with her over text. She didn't go back to school for a week after that.

"Come on – I'll introduce you to everyone," Emma grabbed Alice's hand with a smug smile and yanked her out of her reflective mood.

Emma practically dragged Alice across the area floor until they reached a biggish group of Gotham's Liberators, most of whom looked rather threatening, and none of whom was Peter.

"Okay, guys, because Roth couldn't be bothered to the first time around, I've taken it upon myself to introduce you to newbie over here. This is Alice," Emma linked arms with Alice who felt safe and secure by her side. Alice gave a little wave to everyone who smiled and said 'hello'. Then, one by one, Emma pointed at each of the group, saying their names as she did so. Alice couldn't remember all twelve of them, but she remembered a Matthew, a Dylan, a Lauren, a Juan and an Andrea. She was pretty bad with names even though her long term memory was pretty good.

After hanging out with them for a while, Emma made an excuse about needing to see the plans so far, as she had revealed that she was also on the "plans committee". She skipped her way over (while Alice scuttled behind) and threw her hands over Dominic's eyes when she reached him. He didn't even flinch.

"Guess who?" Emma played, disguising her voice.

"Jesus? Jesus is that you?" Dominic joked, causing Emma to laugh. Dominic then spun around and began tickling Emma who screamed and ran as he chased her. Alice was pretty sure he liked her too and thought how silly it was that they both got caught up about 'if' when they should just kiss and date already.

She smiled at the children and then turned to the other three members around the plans. Instantly locking eyes with one, she remembered him. He was the one who had knocked her out – taken orders to harm her. Her wound panged with pain once again and she frowned. The guy was big and beefy, resembling a Rottweiler rather than a human being. He wore a camo vest that let his guns out to show the world how strong he was, and a large assault rifle holstered on his back like a trophy. He frowned right back at Alice and puffed out his chest – guard dog.

Before she could start an argument, someone had gripped her by the shoulders and spun her around to face them as streams of words flew out of their mouth all at once.

"Are you okay, Alice? Thank god you're awake, I was so worried. Why didn't you guys tell me she was up? God dammit, Luis, why'd you hit her so hard?! She's fucking bruising like a peach!"

"Peter, I'm fine, It doesn't even hurt that much," Alice complained as she rolled her eyes, but that hurt and she winced, breaking the façade. Peter stroked her injury while giving Luis the evils.

"Come on, Pete. You know I had to do what he said."

Peter didn't answer and Alice knew it was because he knew that Luis was right. Instead, Peter ignored him and led Alice away to a nearby bench. She shook herself from his hands when they approached the bench, feeling capable enough to sit down without him mothering her.

Peter watched her sit down and sighed. He knew he'd fucked up.

"What were you thinking, Alice?"

She glared at him, "What the hell do you mean by that? I was coming to join, wasn't I?"

"You could have called," he groaned and slumped next to her, running his hands through his hair with exhaustion.

"Well, _excuse_ me for being unaware of your boss' return," she replied sarcastically and scooted away from him, folding her arms over her chest. How dare he try and blame this on her. He should be thankful that she had even agreed to be a part of this "organisation", and now she was being held captive. None of this was going how she wanted it to, even though she didn't really know what she wanted in the first place.

"I really can't leave?"

"Nope."

"My friend will come looking for me."

"She won't find you."

"She'll call the police."

"They won't find you."

"But they might find the taxi driver who drove me to the Narrows."

This got his attention. He stared at Alice with a frown and he was suddenly pretty scary but she kept her composure.

"How far did he drive you?"

"Let me call my friend."

"Does he know this place exists?"

"_Let_ _me call my friend_."

"Alice!" Peter grabbed her shoulders once again with such anger in his eyes but also desperation. He didn't want to hurt her, but he didn't want something he believed in to be ruined. It was admirable, really.

Alice gulped and knew not to push her luck. "I just want her to know that I'm okay and she shouldn't freak out."

Peter continued to glare at her before looking down, releasing her, and reaching into his pocket to produce a phone. It was hers. She reached for it but he pulled it away, grabbing her attention.

"You have one minute."

Alice nodded.

"I'll be listening to what you say."

She nodded again.

"You can't tell her about this place. 'Cause I won't be able to save your ass again."

Alice hesitated but then sighed in defeat and nodded. Peter handed her the phone precariously. She took it from his palm and called Evelynn.

"Alice? Where are you? I've been texting and calling you!" Evelynn's voice was panicky but relieved to hear Alice. Alice glanced at Peter who had no intention of taking his eyes off of her.

"Ev…calm down. I'm fine. I'm…" Alice tried to think of a believable story that would convince Evelynn not to call the police. Ev tended to be a bit dramatic.

"I'm at Harleen's place."

There was a moment of silence before Evelynn replied.

"Harleen's?"

"Yeah. See," Alice kept her eyes on Peter while she lied, "she's been feeling pretty down recently to the point where I'm afraid to leave her alone. So I think I'm gonna stay with her for…some time. Until she's feeling better, I guess."

Alice wanted to tell her best friend everything, like they always had since they were fourteen. Alice had told Evelynn about boys that she liked and Evelynn had told Alice about girls that she liked and Alice had told Evelynn about the time she saw her mum crying in her room and Evelynn had told her about her parents getting a divorce. So, it was only natural that Alice wanted to shriek about meeting a serial killer who wasn't allowing her to leave his base until she had learnt the ins and outs of what this group was trying to achieve. However, Alice could not utter a word of it.

"Oh my god, is she okay? Do you want me to bring your things?"

"No no, Harleen has clothes that I can borrow for as long as I need. But, while I'm in this part of town, I'm gonna look for a job. I hate that you're paying all of the rent at the moment – we're only just scraping by. So I'll get some money coming in and send you whatever I earn, okay?"

Alice hoped she wasn't just running her mouth. She hoped she would actually be earning some money while she was here, similar to work experience or something. Perhaps the money wouldn't be honest, but she'd work hard for it if she needed to. However, there was still the case of _what exactly_ she was to be doing while she was here. She assumed it wasn't going to be anything as simple and innocent as taking the rubbish out or scrubbing the floors.

"Yeah, sure. But, just saying, I'm totally fine paying the rent while you sort things out in your head. Don't feel pressured to get a job – there's no rush."

Just as Evelynn finished her sentence, Peter glanced at his watch and then back up at Alice, motioning with his eyes that it was time for her to wrap things up. She sighed and then played it off as a yawn.

"Thanks, Ev. I really appreciate that. Anyway, I'm really tired – long day," Peter was doing that 'hurry up' motion with his hand, "I'll call when I can, okay? Love you!" Alice managed to say just as Peter took the phone from her fist and hung up. She glared at him as he stored the phone in his jacket pocket.

"That was rude," she muttered as she stood up from the bench.

"I'm sorry," Peter said and, looking at his expression, Alice knew he meant it. She didn't really know what was up with the Joker, but she knew that he had a massive effect on everyone here and that they were afraid to not follow his orders. Peter didn't really want to keep Alice here against her will – he just had no other choice. Although, shouldn't he have known that making her a member would get her mixed up in things similar to this anyway? Alice had no idea. It was too late now, anyway.

She considered replying, but then found she neither wanted to forgive him nor blame him even more, so just walked away with a melancholy expression.

* * *

It was late. Everyone had gone to their bunks a while ago. Men in one section, women in another, like changing rooms. Alice wasn't tired. She had left the snores and went to give herself her own tour of the Garage. Having someone else show her around meant that she hadn't had enough time to figure out the building's unique features and hiding places. That was her favourite thing about somewhere new – the secrets.

She looked all around, her bare feet padding across the stone ground, echoing through the halls and bouncing around the high ceilings. She found some interesting places where she could have some alone time away from all the ruckus, but nothing very exciting. Unfortunately, the only place that held the main focus of interest for her was the office overlooking the arena. The Joker's room. She didn't really know why; perhaps it was the fact that it was the only room she hadn't been in, or the fact that _he_ was in there right now.

Her mind then wondered what he was doing as she padded around. She made her way to the arena and positioned herself below the office, looking up to the windows. She couldn't see anything. Was he sleeping? Was he with Samantha? Everything was very quiet, but peaceful, like she was dreaming.

"Admiring the _scenery_?"

Alice flinched at the sudden voice behind her, spun 180° but was faced with complete darkness. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She didn't need to see the face to know who it was – his voice was unique enough. Alice felt herself begin to panic as she realised that he could come from anywhere and attack her if he wanted to. She wouldn't put it past him. Her green eyes scanned the black environment, searching for any movement.

Suddenly, he emerged from the shadows, shoulders hunched and looming as he slowly paced himself towards her. He laughed, but not hysterically; it was more of a menacing chuckle that parted his red lips in a slight smile that showed his teeth. His green, greasy hair waved slightly over his eyes that stared at her, never moving.

Alice wanted to stand her ground, but she found he was too intense and began taking a step back every time he took a step forward. Eventually, he stopped moving altogether but continued to stare like he was examining her. Her breathing was heavy as she stared back, trying desperately not to look as terrified as she felt. His scars were distracting.

"It's…_Alice_, right?" He asked, dragging her name out as if it was another language that he was still trying to learn. She hesitated, not even sure herself, but then nodded ever so gently. The word 'captivating' kept floating around her mind, and for good reason: he truly _was_ captivating. The way he moved, the way he spoke, the way he stared – like a predator eyeing up his prey. Did that make Alice his prey?

For an awful, grotesque moment, she kind of liked that idea, but had no clue as to why. Why would anything want to be something else's prey?

The Joker took a small side-step to the left, as if about to circle her, but stopped and grinned.

"So, this must be your _Wonderland_, hm?" He pulled his eyes from hers to glance around the room, but she kept staring at him.

"Well, _you're_ Alice. So who does that make _me_?" he gestured to himself, placing his hands on his chest, "The Queen of Hearts? Or, perhaps, the, uh… Ace of Spades?"

He emphasised every word in a way that unnerved but intrigued Alice. She had no idea why he had started talking about Alice in Wonderland or what relevance it had to her situation, but she loved to watch him perform, even if she did feel like crawling into a ball in the very presence of him.

But suddenly, he sprung forward towards Alice, almost making her fall over with fright until he clutched her arm. "Or maybe…I'm the _Mad Hatter_, huh?" He had a crazy look in his deep, dark brown eyes that would support that theory as she struggled to get out of his vice-like grip.

"Hey," he grabbed her other arm and looked down at her as she tried with all her might to escape, "Are you even _listening_ to my allegory?" He chuckled again, but she didn't know what was so funny.

"Why should I?" she growled back at him to which he laughed even more.

"_Because_, Alice, I don't think you _truly _understand your current…_predicament_."

"I am fully aware of what's going on!"

The Joker tutted and licked his lips with another smile, "No no no no, you gotta let me explain. See…you're sweet, little _Alice_, okay? And Alice is lost in _Wonderland_. To get _out_ of, uh, Wonderland…Alice has to do some _crazy _things. And then she gets to _leave_. Understand?"

Alice stopped struggling, unsure what he meant. She suddenly realised how close she was to his features and quickly looked away, feeling her cheeks heat up. She was thankful for the darkness.

"What sorts of things?"

"See, that's the _thing_. Alice doesn't _know_ what she's heading in to. All she knows is that, whatever is asked of her…she _does it_," his smile disappeared instantly and struck fear through Alice like lightning as she returned her eyes to his. "_No. Questions. Asked._"

She was frowning the deep frown she did whenever she was utterly confused and angry – her eyebrows were practically knitted together.

But then, as suddenly as he had switched before, the Joker burst into maniacal laughter at her expression, startling her.

"Oh, _Wonderland_!" he began with an apparent nickname for her. She wasn't sure if she liked it. "Why so _serious_?"

Her features softened at the madman's words as he released her (still laughing) and slunk up the stairs to his office. She watched him go, catching the last glimpses of his purple coat tail before it disappeared in the door that subsequently slammed shut.

Alice was left in the arena, confused but exhilarated after the strangest interaction she had ever had. She blindly made her way to her bunk and curled herself into the foetal position, facing the wall.

Alice stared blankly - not crying - into the void as she thought of Emily.

* * *

**A/N: **_Chapter five! :D Now, because I haven't updated in two and a bit months (holy moly I'm so sorry!) this chapter's a lil' longer for y'all! :3 This one has a little Joker action which was actually really hard to write so, if you have any criticisms or ideas for how I can better write his character, anything is appreciated :) Thank you all so much for sticking around. I can't believe this story has 32 followers already! That's crazy! Every single one of you is awesome :') _

_Please continue to tell me what you think of the story so far and how I can improve it. Thanks for reading! c:_

~Beth x


	6. Chapter Six: Down the Rabbit Hole

And so began a whole new life for little, lost Alice. She had no idea what had persuaded her to even think about joining this group of criminal misfits, because now she regretted everything.

Well…not _everything_.

Last night, Alice had stared into the eyes that had seen (with delight) many innocents' last moments, and all she could think about was what a nice shade of brown they were. And, to her surprise once again, she didn't hate him. Even being face to face with the crazy killer who was keeping her here against her will didn't make her hate him. She was terrified of him, but also very much wanted to know who he really was. He hadn't killed her yet, and she was pretty sure that if he had wanted her dead, she would be. So she took her being alive as a good sign.

Eventually, her mind had let her sleep the night before, but not without waking her up every hour with troubling thoughts of home, Emily, the Joker, anything that proved the slightest bit worrying. So, after being awake for a while, Alice had decided to get up before everyone else in the girls' sleeping quarters. As she stretched and rubbed away the sleep from her eyes, she glanced around the room, at the other females, and tried to guess which one was Samantha. She didn't exactly know why she cared, but Samantha was "close" with her boss – or, at least, that's what Alice had concluded from the information Emma had given her.

Alice rose from her uncomfortable cot and tip-toed around the room. She wasn't sure what features she supposed belonged to Samantha: blonde hair or brown? Tall or short? A part of Alice hoped she wasn't some sort of model, but she had no idea why.

_Am I jealous? _She wondered, but the thought rendered her confused because she felt nothing for the man. Sure, he was mysterious and interesting – but he was also an awful human being, if he even _was_ human anymore. She didn't like him at all but her curiosity was making her feel things. Things she didn't much care to feel.

Alice passed the other cots, inconspicuously inspecting their occupants. She walked past Emma and smiled at her snoring face, drool trickling down her chin, reminiscent of a young puppy. Alice also passed the woman who had won the arm wrestle her first time visiting the Garage. The woman had coal black hair that wasn't in great condition, but added to her apparently fierce character. Emma hadn't introduced Alice to her yesterday, begging the question of where she had been.

With about thirteen other women in the room, most of whom appearing older than her, Alice found that looking for Samantha (someone whose features were a mystery) was futile. Alice gave up and sauntered out of the room with breakfast in mind.

Emerging into the kitchen, Alice took note of a clock on the wall. Seven minutes past seven. She didn't even know that time existed. She groaned – she wasn't a morning person. With a big yawn, she started raiding the cupboards…then the fridge…then the boxes in the storage room. She found nothing but a ton of pasta, some rotten tomatoes, and porridge.

"Porridge it is then," she exhaled.

While making the hot mush that she had never been a fan of, Alice wondered who cooked the food around here, and if they cooked pasta every night. She suspected most of Gotham's Liberators went out for their meals…if they could afford it. None of them looked very wealthy and, she assumed that if they were, they wouldn't be here. That's when Alice came to the realisation that most of them were probably criminals. Which then led her to panic a little about which sort of criminals she was in the company of.

Suddenly paranoid, she flipped her head to either side of her. No one. But she felt far from safe.

The porridge began to boil on the grubby hob of the stove.

"Shit!" Alice exclaimed and yanked the pan away, some mush spilling on her wrist, burning her skin. She squealed frantically and switched the hob off. She slammed the pan down on the counter and shuffled to the tap, turned it on and shoved her wrist in the cool relief. Muffled obscenities escaped her pursed lips, cursing herself for being an idiot.

"You okay?" Alice turned her head and was met with one of the guys she had been introduced to yesterday. Unfortunately, he was one of the ones whose name she couldn't recall.

Alice hesitated. While his face seemed genuinely concerned, she was feeling rather bias due to her sudden revelation about the true nature of these men and women that occupied the Garage. This probably nice man now seemed somehow tainted with the fact that he was most likely a criminal and Alice was confused as to why she was so shocked. Honestly, what had she expected? Did it really matter anyway? She couldn't escape, and no one had tried to murder her or steal her things or even threaten her. They were just people and she shouldn't think any different of them. Most of them had been pleasant so far.

Most.

With a big smile, she answered, "Yes. Thank you…" she paused in a sort of way that hinted at the fact that she had forgotten his name. He chuckled.

"Gus," he helped. Alice smiled apologetically as she turned off the tap and began drying off her hand. "It's okay – I would have forgotten yours too, but you've caused quite a stir around here."

She gave him a look of concern.

"Stir? _I've_ caused a stir?" She couldn't help the smile that pulled at the corners of her mouth. She had never been a person of interest to anyone other than her family and Evelynn.

Gus nodded. "Not many people have the balls to talk back to the boss. I think you've fulfilled some sort of fantasy everyone's had around here." With a chuckle, he strolled over to the counter, picked up the pan with the burnt porridge, and began scraping the lost food into the bin. Alice hated wasting food, especially when there wasn't much to eat.

"I'm really sorry about that," she fussed.

"No worries." Gus smiled at her kindly as he put the pan in the sink, ready to be washed, "Shit happens."

Alice fervently agreed with him. Shit _did_ happen, and recently, it all seemed to be happening to her.

She inspected her burn but it wasn't bad. Just a pink spot that stung a little when she prodded it.

Gus also took an interest in her injury and approached her for a further look. Alice looked him over as he looked at her wrist. He was tall and big, resembling a teddy bear. A dark stubble covered his chin and the sides of his cheeks, connecting the sideburns to the short hair that shared the same colour. He came across as a very huggable and kind guy. Alice wondered why he was here.

"I could make you something else if you want," Gus offered.

"No, I couldn't ask you to do that," Alice objected, shaking her head.

"You might as well. I'm just about to make breakfast for everyone else here," Gus said as he grabbed an apron from a draw and tied it around his waist. That answered Alice's question about who cooked things around here.

Then, to her amusement, Gus pulled out six eggs from his pockets and placed them on the counter. Alice chuckled lightly at Gus who gave her a smirk.

"The gang tends to steal _everything_. So I have my own secret stash." He winked and grabbed a pan from the cupboard. "It's a wonder how I feed everyone."

Like the trigger of a gun, Alice's mind shot like a bullet at the word 'wonder' to last night's interaction with you-know-who. His nickname for her, _Wonderland_: a reference to Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' in which a young girl falls through a rabbit whole and emerges in a fantasy land, home to talking creatures and unnatural colours. The clown had likened Alice's situation to that of the girl in the story, but Alice had only assumed his mind had fluttered there because of the shared name. Perhaps that had been the case at first, but she was now starting to see what he meant. She _did_ feel lost and confused – like she, herself, might end up going rather mad in this odd place.

Alice shuddered horrifically, and Gus would have had to have been blind not to notice.

"You okay?" He asked as the scrambled eggs spat and hissed in the pan.

Alice sighed. She didn't want to lie even more than she already had to pretty much everyone.

"Not really," she admitted with a tight smile. She felt instantly uncomfortable letting her guard down, her weakness now on display. But, there was only Gus here to see it, and he seemed nice.

He gave her that familiar look that she had grown to hate.

"But, y'know," she echoed with a shrug, "shit happens."

* * *

Breakfast had come and gone faster than it had been made by Gus, all of the food on a 'first-come, first-served' basis: anyone who wasn't up the time it was ready risked not getting any, which appeared to always be the case. The ones who had awoken for their morning meal had attacked the plate of scrambled eggs and bowl of porridge with such craving, like a pack of lions on a gazelle carcass.

Being the sheepish newbie, Alice had let the others have at it, not wanting to become annoying within the group already. It was okay though – she didn't have much of an appetite anyway. She just sat on the bleachers and let her thoughts be distracted by the zombies.

Gradually, someone from the sleeping quarters would rush down the corridor and slam themselves into the table the breakfast had been served on, only to be met with empty platters resulting in empty stomachs. They only had themselves to blame. But Alice felt sorry for them. This way of life was much different to the one she was used to.

"WHO TOOK MY CANDY?!" A sudden yell poured through the corridor leading to the sleeping quarters, grabbing Alice's attention.

Not a moment later, a small, slim figure padded angrily out into the arena, curly red hair flaming, like her current mood. Her furrowed eyebrows seemed to be pointing to her golden brown eyes that scanned the room. Freckles trailed over the bridge of her nose, adding an ironic cute, innocence to her anger. Finally, her eyes settled, like a bolt locking a door, on Alice.

"Who…the HELL are you?" She interrogated with fierce accusation that scared Alice, rendering her speechless to the small flame's question.

"Did you take it?" She asked, ignoring her first question, her voice a little calmer.

"Take what?" Alice managed to splutter.

"My candy!" Red yelled again, taking a step up the bleachers towards Alice who was now fully aware of all the eyes that were on this unnecessary scene that had somehow formed itself.

"N-no. I didn't take your candy." Alice stuttered, still bewildered by this odd exchange with the girl in her nightie.

Then, as if never angry in the first place, the girl had a smile snapped to her face in an instant and giggled, confusing Alice even more than she was.

"Well why didn't you say so, silly! Here I am, yelling like a mad thing at the wrong perp! Who are you anyway?" She fanned her face, a little flustered after her outburst.

"_Samantha_." A voice barked from behind them that sent a chill down Alice's spine.

_Samantha? _

Samantha squealed, either in excitement or fright, and turned to face the voice's owner. Alice followed Samantha's eyes, but she wasn't ready to look at him. Only now was she beginning to realise just how much he terrified her.

"How many _times_ do I have to _tell_ you to Shut. _Up_?" His voice trembled with anger.

"Of course, snookums!"

The Joker clenched his fist and growled, "_Don't…call me_ that."

Samantha's face sunk.

"Yep. Okay. Sure thing..boss." She replied in a high pitched voice full of sorrow. But he didn't care.

What exactly did Samantha mean to him? What did _he_ mean to her?

The Joker, still clearly annoyed, slunk across the space of the arena, nodding at Dominic as he passed who then followed him to the plans section of the Garage. The rest of the plans committee then sheepishly tailed the pair, Alice spotting Emma amongst them. Samantha also skipped away from Alice to see what was going on, like their interaction hadn't just happened.

Alice thought about what they could be planning but honestly had no clue. And did she even want to know? There could be theft, arson, maybe even murder involved. The best thing she could do was to stay as far out of it as possible. But what if those things were the crazy things the Joker had talked about her doing the previous night? Would she eventually have to know? All these questions swimming around in her head needed answers, but she didn't really know who to ask. She settled on Peter – even if she was still mad at him.

Alice let her gaze trail to the group of schemers, no doubt plotting illegal wrong-doings. Her eyes rested on their attention-catching boss, whose shoulders were hunched over the table, and whose figure was a step back from the group, like he wasn't fully in cahoots with them – just a spectator. She noticed the red head, whom she now knew was _the_ Samantha who was "involved" with the Joker. Alice found herself looking the girl up and down, questions popping up in her mind, but the one disturbing her the most also happened to be the most prominent:

_What makes her so special?_

And as she continued to observe Samantha, she couldn't help but liken her to the Mad Hatter. Her behaviour, not to mention her wild, firery hair, were uncannily reminiscent of the mad character who little Alice befriended in Wonderland in Carroll's tale. Did this realisation mean that this little Alice and that mad character would, indeed, become friends?

_Of course not,_ Alice thought. _Because that is a story, and this is not._

It was safe to say that Alice didn't think much of the girl who had manically accused her of stealing her sweets. But she wasn't too surprised that she _was_ a little mad. Samantha would have to be to be interested in the Joker in _that _way.

Subconsciously, Alice began "checking out" the clown, trying to understand what Samantha saw in him. Did he even own any other clothes than the ones he was wearing? Or was he like a cartoon character that had a whole wardrobe full of dirty-purple suit jackets, blue shirts and pinstriped trousers? And what about the make-up? Did he ever take it off?

As she stared, she noticed that he never stood still. He was constantly fidgeting – always scuffing his feet on the floor, or extending his fingers then retracing them into fists, over and over. And his eyes – even from afar, she saw the deep, dark brown of them, like she had seen up close the other night, and he looked a million miles away. But, what her eyes always kept coming back to, were the scars that turned his grimace into a mutilated smile, sending furious shivers through Alice. How had they come to be? What terrible thing must've happened to him?

And, as she continued to look the rest of him over, she was horrified that her heart rate accelerated and it became rather difficult to breathe.

_Do I actually find him… attractive?_

The thought terrified her, and she tried with all of her strength to shove it to the back of her mind. What was wrong with her?! He was a psychopathic serial killer with no regard for human life, but it seemed she couldn't ignore the fact that he was a good-looking guy – scars and all. But she had at least hoped that those thoughts wouldn't have even arisen considering _who he is_!

And then he took another step back from the group, held his arms behind his back, and looked up slightly, his dangerous eyes locking with Alice's.

Her breathing caught in her throat and she immediately looked away, fear coursing through her like ice. Her legs went numb with pins and needles as she pretended to be interested in something on the floor. But something urged her to check to see if the coast was clear. Gradually, she pulled her eyes from the floor and flicked them to the group.

The Joker was still looking at her, even more intently than he had. But a smile now accompanied this stare, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

Alice held eye contact for a few seconds, her brows furrowing and twitching at the intensity of the gaze. Was she angry or scared? But then Joker sharply raised his eyebrows and Alice broke contact. She couldn't breathe. She needed to go.

Almost falling over as she scrambled to a stand, Alice practically ran down the bleacher steps and through the corridor without looking back.

She burst into the bathrooms – which were, in fact, locker rooms – and made sure the stalls were empty before entering the cleanest one. She slumped on the toilet and began to wail into her hands, kicking the door shut.

She had been so calm up to this point. Only now was she realising her situation. Only now was she realising just how much shit she had gotten herself into. That hit to the head had made her delirious. She really was a prisoner, and the Joker was the prison guard. And he was the most ruthless, corrupt prison guard there ever was, or ever could be. He wasn't afraid to threaten your life to keep you in order, and he definitely would not hesitate to act on that threat.

Reading articles and watching videos about how evil someone was on the internet, could in no way prepare one for the real thing. It was petrifying. And Alice hated herself for how stupid and reckless she had been. Why hadn't she just _thought_ for one second about what she was getting herself into?

The worst thing: she was all alone. She had no one to go through this with. When times had been tough, Alice had always gone to Emily. Emily had been so wise, so mature, for her age. After she had died, all Alice wanted to do was to talk to her about how devastated she was that she was gone. And that broke her heart even more. She then closed herself off from the world, not even being able to talk to her family or best friend. She refused to burden anyone with her thoughts, no matter how much they said they'd listen. She just couldn't go there.

Not wanting to be found, Alice made her crying as silent as possible, and brought her legs up on the edge of the bowl and hugged them, burying her forehead in her knees as her tears moistened her jeans.

* * *

"I found her! It's okay, she's here!"

Alice mumbled and lifted her head to see where all the noise was coming from.

Emma stood a few feet away from the stall, looking down at Alice incredulously.

"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty." Emma grinned, "You had everyone a bit worried there for a sec. Whatcha doin' in here?"

Squinting, Alice wiped the drool from her chin and realised she had cried herself to sleep on the toilet. How embarrassing.

Peter was, of course, the one to come rushing into the locker room, eyes ladened with panic. Upon seeing Alice, though, relief and confusion replaced the worry as he approached her, lowering himself to her level in front of her. He smiled with a slight frown.

"Are you okay, Alice?" His voice was gentle, but still seemed harsh to the headache she currently had. She nodded wistfully, still waking up from her tear-induced nap. How long had she been out?

Peter helped her up and guided her out of the locker room as she clung to his side for support, but also for cover. She didn't want to run into the Joker. She had seen his face in her nightmare, and it had stayed with her, behind her eyelids, every time she blinked. She felt sick.

Peter led her to her cot, and she noticed that some others were also in their cots. It was probably quite late. She climbed under the sheets, fully clothed as Peter knelt beside her, Emma standing next to him.

"Are you sure you're okay? You're shaking," he whispered, and it was only when he brought it up that she realised he was right. She was shaking all over like she was in freezer, but she wasn't cold. Her teeth chattered as she nodded again. Peter frowned, not buying it, and looked up at Emma who shrugged – clueless.

He stroked Alice's sweating forehead, soothing her aching skull. It didn't take long for her eyelids to become heavy and droop over her eyes, even though that's where he'd find her. But she was too tired to fight the slumber that came for her and swallowed her whole.

* * *

She writhed. She kicked and punched and ran and fell and struggled. She was out of breath and out of energy. She couldn't fight anymore. She let go.

And then she woke up in a cold sweat, panting and frightened, not knowing where she was. Looking around, noticing the cots containing sleeping bodies, Alice's mind began to wander back to her, but in no way was it a comforting realisation. She wished she had woken up back home in England in her own bed in her family's home. But, alas, she was still here, in Gotham City, in the Garage, still a prisoner. She let tears escape her eyelids.

Alice swung her legs over the edge of the cot and ran her fingers through her scraggily, unkempt hair. Bringing her hands back in front of her, palms outstretched, she was horrified to see that some of her auburn hair had fallen out so easily, just like it had done when Emily died. The stress was coming back full force, and who knows what it would do this time.

Alice began shaking again, but took control of her breathing, just like Evelynn had helped her with. She was still so angry that she had let herself become this person again.

But, what had Emily always told her?

_If you're ever having trouble in that brain of yours, just keep trying and don't give up. You'll find your way out if you remember that there's never just one exit._

"There's never just one exit," Alice whispered, the cogs, once again, beginning to whir in her brain. She grinned rather manically as she realised just what a genius her little sister was.

Alice hopped off the cot and quietly darted out of the room. Before exiting the corridor, she looked left and right. All was silent. But all was dark. If she was going to find another exit, she'd need some light.

With this in mind, Alice felt her way around the walls of the arena until she bumped into a table. She clamped a hand over her mouth to stop from swearing at the pain. Eyes adjusting, she noticed that an ashtray, along with a few lighters, adorned the small table.

Alice smiled in the dark and picked up the lighter containing the most fluid. Not being a smoker, it took her a few clicks to finally receive a flame from the small device. But she succeeded and continued around the room, the dim flame lighting her way. She daren't go anywhere near the door at the back of the arena. That only led to trouble.

Eventually, Alice found herself in the kitchen. From what she could remember from before, it wasn't very interesting. However, she hadn't exactly observed it in all of its glory yet – she had only been looking for places where food might have been. She traced the countertops with her fingers as she walked around the edges, shining the lighter up and down the walls, until she stopped suddenly.

A breeze. Alice felt a soft, cool breeze. It caressed the hairs on her arms and made her think of Emily.

_There's never just one exit._

Alice discovered the source of the breeze was coming from behind a large stack of empty cardboard boxes. Now, in any other situation, Alice would have gone to town on these weak structures, but she needed to be quiet. So, one by one, Alice removed the boxes from the stack like a scaled up version of Jenga. Slowly, she pushed the last one to the side to reveal a small trash chute.

The breeze, no longer muffled by cardboard, was welcoming her like a turkey at Christmas dinner. She could taste the freedom.

Examining the chute, Alice questioned whether she would actually be able to fit down it. And what would be waiting for her at the bottom? A sealed grate? Then she'd be stuck in the chute and probably starve to death, or be caught by Joker and his goons.

"Y'know, I was enjoying watching you _creeping_ 'round the room, looking for, uh, a way out."

_No… _

In shock, she let the lighter slip from her hand, shadowing her and her visitor in almost complete darkness.

"But then you were gone for _a while…_ and I thought you actually _had_ escaped."

Alice had never tasted defeat quite so sour. She also had never feared it as much as she did now. She turned just her head to the side, enough so her peripherals picked up his cat-like movement in the ever-so-slightly illuminated darkness. She started shaking again, feeling the tears sting her eyes. Her breathing accelerated.

"So_ close, Wonderland!_" He exclaimed with a giddy squeal and a slow, mocking clap, obviously enjoying her failure as he slunk ever closer to her.

She had failed. There was no way this exit would still be an exit by tomorrow. Gradually, she turned to face him head on. Her eyes once again adjusting, she could now make out his hunched figure as he slowly came to a halt in front of her and grinned a champion's grin, licking his lips.

"Why won't you let me go?" Her voice was more desperate than she had wanted it to sound. "I'm no good here. I have no experience in anything you're planning to do! I swear I won't tell anyone! Just, please let me go." But as she said the words, she noticed how she didn't fully mean them. Of course, she wanted to go. But being near him, no matter how scary he was, felt like nothing she had felt before.

He squinted at her as if he knew better. "Well… _Peter_ seems to think you'd make a good…_asset _to the team." He licked his lips again, raising his eyebrows as he hopped onto the counter, legs dangling like a child.

"And _Peter's_ been nothing but an _upstanding gentleman _within my little community!" He chuckled deeply before continuing. "_So_… are you saying that Peter is a… _liar?_" He raised his eyebrows at her once again in question, and she knew exactly what he was doing.

"Because if that's what you're _saying_…well…" He smiled maleficently. "He'd have to _go_."

"No!" She said, rather abruptly. But could you blame her? He had blatantly just threatened Peter's life! If she didn't buck up her ideas and start complying, she had no doubt that he wouldn't miss one member of Gotham's Liberators.

Joker hopped off the counter and paced slowly towards her, more and more of his features becoming clearer. He stopped just a couple of feet in front of Alice, towering over her with his hunched shoulders and curious scars, and it was only now that she noticed he wasn't wearing his coat. Without it, her eyes wandered to his arms and it was safe to say she wasn't displeased.

Her eyes widened with horror at her stupidity and how easy it was for her to get distracted and carried away. She hoped her actions had been hidden in the dark. But he was as close to her as she was to him. For a moment, his eyes trailed over her before squinting a little in confusion at her expression. But then he smiled and reverted to his intimidating self.

"_So…_" He began for her to continue.

"So," she cleared her throat and looked anywhere but in his eyes, "I will not try and… escape."

"_And_…" He edged ever so slightly closer as her heart thundered in her chest and a knot formed in her throat.

"And, um," she didn't know what else he wanted from her, "I will, uh… behave?" She guessed, her mouth dry. She gulped.

He stayed there for a moment, examining her face, before he chuckled and stepped back with a happy sigh. Alice also let out a sigh, but one of relief for they were no longer uncomfortably close.

"I'll have some, uh… _things _for you to do tomorrow _Wonderland_." He said as he began sauntering out of the room. Turning his head back to look at her, he finished his sentence. "Don't you _worry_." He made a click with his mouth and, because of the dark, Alice could only assume he had winked at her.

And then he was gone.

And she was alone.

* * *

**A/N: **Here is chapter six! :) I'm not quite sure how I feel about this one. It's taken me a while to think of what to write ( as is probably obvious) and I've hit a real writer's block with this story, even though it hardly feels like I've started :/ I have a few things I want to happen later on but nothing solid. So, if you have any suggestions or want to see something in this story, then feel free to leave it in a review or PM me :D And over 40 followers? That's awesome! Thank you all so much for your super kind words :') You all make me smile so much.

~Beth x

P.S. I finally created a thumbnail for the story! :D Took me hours, I'm not joking xD


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